Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-05-07
THE RANCH.
Experiences Reported in Various Fields
of AGriculture.

Experiences Reported in Various Fields
of Agriculture.
A gentleman writing from Ida county,
Illinois, to an Eastern journal, says: Last
spring John Lester dehorned eighty-three
head of yearlings, and the same week drove
them off to the herd along with two hun
dred head OF other cattle of various ages.
Last week he went up and drove his herd
back to his farm in Galva township, and as
we passed there the other day our atten-
ton was called to so many muleys," and
upon inquiry learned the facts already re-
lated. His process of dehorning was SIM
pie and brief. Each animal was placed in
a swing, and bis head in a stanch1on, and
with fine meat saw Mr.. Lester sawed the
horns Off up close to the head, taking off
about three-fourths of an inch of skin.
Nothing In the way of Imminent or grease
was put on the wound, but the animal
turned loose as quick as possible and an
other served likewise, until the whole
eighty-three were made hornless. These
young cattle came back from their summers
pasture in excellent shape, even better than
those which were allowed to keep their
horns, and Mr.. Lester says they will GER
tainly winter better, as they will not be
constantly hooking each other. There is
NOT sign of a horn on them now, and
they resemble muleys in every respect.
RESTORING THE FERTILITY OF OUR FARMS.
We believe the position cannot be con-
troyerted, that the making of butter, and
as an accomplishment, the raising of pork,
is the best means yet devised to restore lost
fertility. Sheep and all young stock need
large amount of exercise in summer, so
that pasture seems indispensable, but with
cows, whilst good pasturage is very desira-
BILE, yet success has attended many of our
best butter makers who place but little reli-
ance upon the pasture. The restoration
and improvement of our tillage land is a
problem all are trying to solve. We doubt
if commercial fertilizers can be relied upon
to accomplish this result They are to the
soil what stimulants are to the human sys-
tenn, not reliable to build it up
The butter from the COW and the pork
product from the hog by their side, carry
but a fraction Of the fertilizing elements off
the farm, and they are the best machines
kept on the farm in form of stock by which
to convert foods of large fertilizing proper
ties into the very best of manure for all
kinds and conditions of plant growth. We
commend these suggestions to that numer-
Gus class who are looking in search of some
way out of this fertilizer problem.-Ilde-
pendent Oh. H. Statesman.
SWEET POTATOES AS STOCK FEED.
3 most Northern people the sweet po-
tato is eaten only sparingly and, as it has
to be bought often at high price, it is re-
garded as rather expensive luxury. But
it is very easily grown, and with equal care
and culture will out yield the common
potato, especially onpoor ground. Its
rampant vines choke down weeds, making
little culture necessary. In some of the
Southern States the sweet potato is planted
for stock feed for pigs. which, when the
&c ri cd in do air
own harvesting. The sweet they contain
is very fattening, but itd does not make very
solid pork. The vines of potatoes are
greedily eaten by cows, and have none of
the poisonous qualities of our common po-
tato, which is of family containing many
poisonous plants.
FERTILIZERS FOR GRAPES.
Experiments with commercial fertiliz-
ers in vineyards, continued for four years
in the Rhine district" says DR.. G. C. Cald-
well in the New York Tribune, have given
encouraging results, showing that such ma
nures can be profitably substituted for sta
BILE manure as TO the effect both of quantity
and quality of the fruit, although in gen
eral nc important advantage over stable
manure is gained. Nevertheless, it may be
comforting to those who cannot get for
their vines all the stable manure they
would like, to know that by iudicious use
Of superphosphates, pc.ash salts and nitro
gen compounds, the may be able to get
with the same outlay as for stable manure
Just as good crops, and often better ones.
1t was observed in these experiments that
less favorable results were obtained with
white than colored grapes. The explana-
ton is given that white grapes have deeper
roots, and the same manure should have
been put in deeper to get the same results
The best manner of applying the fertilizers
was found TO be to make, with an iron post
hole bar, narrow, oblong excavations about
eighteen inches deep, at short distances
from the vine, and to sprinkle in each hole
four or five ounces of the manure; tour OF
five such excavations may be made around
each vine. and they are left open to collect
the rain for the solution and distribution Of
the plant-food; the application is made late
in the fall or early IN spring. A mixture
containing six per cent. of soluble phos.
phoric acid, six per cent. of potash as sui
phate, and three per cent. of nitrogen as
ammonia salts or nitrate, has given the best
results: for deeper-rooted grapes the nitro.
gen is better applied in the form of nitrate
so that when taken into solution it may
sink deeper.
CATTLE FACTS.
The market for fancy cattle is depressed
and the recent sale of Holsteins was very
discouraging for breeders. The highest
price obtained was $3.50 for cow, and the
lowest SIG for Young bull the average oil
6fty-seven head was SS1, which does not
paw. At a previous sale of Jersey cattle
the price of choice COWS was $3.50 10 5000
but the average of lightweight head was
only Sl07, the lowest being yearling bull
which only brought $40. Breeders will
not send their stock hither to be slaught-
cred at these rates: and it will be some
time before another such chance for bar
gains will oecur.-New York Letter.
VINEGAR MAKING.
good deal of the wine made in Califor-
MIA in the past should have been turned
into vinegar This would, to a considera-
bic extent, have saved the reputation o.
the State in wine-naking by preventing g
lot of inferior stuff from ever being placed
on the market. OF course these inferior
wines obtain the lowest prices when offered
for sale, and tend to demoralize the tone o.
the whole market, injuring the outlook fol
finer wines. When a wine-maker obtains
offers of such figures as ten and twelve
cents gallon for his vintage, it is time fol
him to understand that there may be some,
thing faulty with his wine, and that ii may
pay him better to make it into vinegar
But 1t should be good vinegar. Some wines
will naturally turn into vinegar if left tc
themselves, but some wines again will not
turn. There is something to be learned
even in making vinegar, and 1t might be
well for our wine-makers TO read up vine
gar-making in case they should ever be
compelled from one cause or another to
turn their wine into vinegar. Let US make
good wines by all means in preference tc
bad wine But good vinegar even is better
had vinegar, and will command 9
IS. f. Merchant.